Echo
by Pernshinigami
Summary: Yaoiyuri later on... Summary: In Balkov abbey, if there's one thing that you can't have, it's family. Yet four girls are struggling to do just that. During the World Championships, lines of loyalty are being stretched to the breaking point. It's up to the
1. Default Chapter

Echo

Summary: In Balkov abbey, if there's one thing that you can't have, it's family. Yet four girls are struggling to do just that. During the World Championships, lines of loyalty are being stretched to the breaking point. It's up to the girls to try and make things right.

****

Prologue

Everyone has a breaking point. For some people are harder to break than others. But the Parker Twins did not realize this. At four, they were the best Bladers in preschool. Unfortunately, not everybody thought so.

Trygle dutifully watched his Blader as she and her twin Michael played house. "Why do I have to wear the apron?" Michael demanded. He was currently missing a front tooth, so his words were a bit slurred.

"Because I've got a fast track career in banking and I need somebody to watch the kids while I'm gone." Natari said, sticking her nose in the air. "You should have thought of that before you married me Mikey."

Michael looked thoughtfully down at the frilly pink apron he was wearing. "I guess it doesn't look too bad."

"See? It even matches your hair."

You'd better not let your mother see you wearing that. Trygle told Michael warningly. Of course Michael couldn't hear him. He didn't have the empathy to.

Natari told Michael what Trygle said and he grinned and looked up at the bit beast sitting atop their bunk bed. "You'd better not let my mother see you out of your beyblade."

Michael's mother HATED beyblading and HATED bit beasts. Because Natari could speak with any bit beast, even call out miniature versions of them from their beyblades, Natari's mother hated Natari. She couldn't stop her from talking to Trygle. But still…

There will always be people like her in the world, terrified of anything they don't understand. You understand me. Natari understands me. Are you afraid? Trygle asked cryptically.

Natari translated. "Of course not!" Michael protested. "You're my friend!"

Funny how children don't understand hate. Funny how they don't understand fear. Later, Natari would have given anything to be that little girl playing house with her brother.

That night, Michael got out of bed to get a glass of water. Trygle was curled up on Natari's bed, head tucked under his wing. The bit beast stirred, woke up, and crooned at Michael. Michael grinned, scratching the bit beast's head tenderly. "I'm just gonna get a glass o' water." Michael yawned. "I'm not goin' nowhere."

Trygle cocked his head, eyes and ears focused on something Michael couldn't hear. The bit beast fluttered over to the easel and dipped a talon in paint. Michael couldn't read yet, so the bit beast tried to make him understand. He painted a blue frown face and an arrow pointing to the door, then wiped off his talon and fluttered to the door, which was opened a crack.

"Trouble?" Michael whispered, picking up his baseball bat. "Robbers?"

Trygle shook his head, crooning sadly. "Wait! You shouldn't go out there!" Michael protested.

The beast didn't listen. Trygle kept going and stopped at the door to the living room. A single bulb lit the gloom. That was when Michael heard the conversation.

"Hikari you can't do this!"

"Who says I can't? She's a FREAK Talison! All day long she's talking with that… unholy… monstrous THING! Carrying it around on her shoulder like it's a teddy bear or a puppy dog!"

"And what about Michael? What will he do when he loses his sister?"

"Balkov Abbey will straighten her out. THEY take freaks like her! And they're PAYING me good money!"

Michael's father's tone dripped with content. "If you get rid of Natari, so help me God you will NOT like what I do Hikari!"

"So fucking what? She's a FREAK Talison! Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe you should read Mien Kampf.(1) It will teach you a thing or two about what makes a HUMAN being…"

"If Mien Kampf held any sort of truth all of Europe would be saying 'Sieg Hail' instead of 'Good Morning.'" Michael's father growled. He got up. Michael ran back to his room.

Trygle had disappeared into his beyblade to mourn.

the next day

Michael got up at around eleven like he usually did. But unlike he usually did, Michael didn't wolf his breakfast, even when his mother gave him a double helping. Natari got extra as well, though Michael could tell from his mother's face that the doting was fake.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll be right ba-ack." Michael's mother said in an overly cheerful tone. She answered the door. "Ah Voltaire, come right in!"

Michael did not like the way Voltaire stared at him. He did not like the way Voltaire stared at Natari. "You've signed the papers?" He asked Michael's mother.

"They're all ready." Michael's mother handed him an envelope.

Michael choked on his food. "Michael, honey, are you sure you're not hungry?"

"Fine mom." Michael said, with unusual coldness for a four-year-old. He got up, leaving his plate.

"Now that's odd."

Michael went to his room, flopped on his bunk, and burst into tears. He cried for a good half-hour before he heard his father shout. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING???"

Michael winced, jumped up, and ran to the door. Natari was sobbing, Voltaire was leading her to a dark limousine with tinted windows. "It's all legal. She signed the papers herself." The older man replied.

Natari clutched Trygle's beyblade in her hands. "NATARI!!!" Michael cried.

"MICHAEL!!!" Natari sobbed.

Michael started to run to her, but another man with purple hair wearing a plush purple and red Victorian suit stopped him. "Stay there young man! _You're_ not coming with us."

"Natari!!" Michael sobbed.

"Michael don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" Natari called across the distance.

"But Natari!"

"Take Trygle Michael! Fight the bad guys! I'll find you again someday! I promise! I don't care if I have to look until I die!" Natari sobbed.

"NATARIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!" His howl would always echo in her mind.

Michael's father slumped, defeated. He pulled Michael into his arms, tears in his eyes. "They won't get away with this." He murmured as Voltaire and Gideon drove off. "She won't get you too!"

"Daddy, Natari gave me Trygle. She told me to fight the bad guys…" Michael tried not to cry, lip quivering none the less.

"It's okay Michael. Keep Trygle hidden from your mother. I will get us out of this mess."

"What will you do?" Michael asked.

"Michael." His father tried his best to keep his voice even. "When a husband and wife no longer care about each other, they get something called a divorce. A divorce means that the parents no longer live in the same house. I think it's best that I do this, for your safety. If your mother finds out that Natari gave you Trygle… she'd do such horrible things to you… you understand?"

Michael nodded. He had to be strong for his father! "I understand dad. I know exactly where to hide Trygle."

"Sorry." Michael whispered as he hid Trygle and his beyblade launcher under the loose floorboard in his room.

There they would remain for many years.

At six years old, Carola of the Saint Shield Clan and her cousin Ozuma were easily the most popular children in their group. Ozuma tended more towards impudence, while Carola was usually rather shy. But she was strong. She had easily bested all the boys in every contest of speed, strength and intellect. She could pin Dunga on the mat in three moves, despite the fact that he was both older and taller. She could easily outdistance Miriam in any footrace, and not even Joseph could best her at Go, Shogi, Stratego, Risk, or any other game of strategy.

But to Beyblade was Carola's dream. To stand at the ring, wind whistling her hair! To have a bit beast, one of the awesome creatures of the spirit realm at her beck and call, knowing that she would never be alone! To thrill with, to live with, and to die by her team, and yes, even to lose with them if times grew rough!

By the time she was eight years old, Dunga had brought her through the basic elements of play. He was two years older than she was. At eight every child in the Saint Shield clan received a beyblade and was instructed in the basic Elements of Beyblading. At ten they underwent a special ceremony in which they were given a bit beast. It marked that they were ready to begin the training that would bring them to adulthood. It meant that they were ready to join the larger team that was the clan. Dunga had a bit beast, Vortex Ape. He was a big brute, but surprisingly gentle.

And so Carola, Ozuma, Joseph and Miriam sat at the children's table. Dunga sat at the larger table with the trainees. Dinner was just ending. Carola's father stood, tapping his glass with his spoon to get attention. "Excuse me everybody. I think we have an announcement to make."

Instant silence. Something about Carola's father Yamato comanded respect.

"Many of you will recall the incident at Balkov Abbey two years ago today. You will recall the fire that cost my brother Baldor his life."

Baldor was Ozuma's father. Ozuma had been taken in by Yamato when the terrible news had come. A boy about Carola's age named Kai had gotten his hands on his grandfather, Voltaire's beyblade. Voltaire's bit beast, Dark Dranzer had gone out of control, causing a fire that had left the Abbey, and Ozuma's heart, in ruins. Ozuma had vowed revenge on this 'Kai' person. He had vowed revenge on the entire Abbey for crying out loud. Revenge was something that was, however, forbidden in the Saint Shield Clan. Only ONE revenge was allowed, the defeat and sealment of the four sacred bit beasts. Next to her, Ozuma clenched his fists, a snarl of rage curling on his lips.

"We cannot allow Biovolt to upset the balance between good and evil, spiritual and corporeal, darkness and light. We are bound not to allow it, and the time will come for them to get theirs. However, we will need an insider to the Abbey, and they are only taking in children. The younger, Voltaire said, the better. And so one of you…" And his gaze swept the tables of the children. "Will be getting their bit beasts a little bit ahead of schedual, and be taking a trip to Russia."

Ozuma straightened. "I hope it's you." He whispered. "I KNOW it will be you."

"Not me." Carola whispered. "It can't be me. I'm not strong enough."

"Gods Carola you're strong enough to pin Dunga for crying out loud. Nobody has EVER been able to bring that guy into a headlock!"

There was a gasp as Carola's father opened the sliding door to the shrine. "Carola, come forward."

"WHAT???" Miriam, Dunga and Joseph shrieked at once.

Ozuma smirked. "Told you so."

Trembling like a leaf Carola stood. That was when the dining hall cheered, and began the traditional chant….

"Walk Carola walk!

Walk Carola walk!

Walk Carola walk!

Walk Carola walk!"

Nervously, Carola stood and went to her father. He lead her gently, by the arm, into the shrine and closed the door. The torches flared up into light. A smell stood in the air, of spring and earth and many minty, pungent smells. Carola's father lit a stick of incense from the candles that always burned next to the case that held the clan's unpaired bit beasts. Carola's father opened the glass and tapped it with his staff.

"Oh Ancient Ones, bless us on this solemn occasion. Choose our daughter and guide her in the way of the Saint Shields. Teach her of the balance, protect her on the road, guide her in the ways of the Right."

The smell grew stronger. Carola heard something talking. She couldn't quite say what. She couldn't make out any words. She knew what it was though. The bit beasts were in council. Then suddenly, one glowed… the charm and attached bit glowed and floated into her hands.

Carola studied the bit, not quite believing that it belonged to her. Depicted on it was a purple and turquoise and silver, baby turtle. "How do I know it's name?" Carola asked.

"Close your eyes, focus inside yourself, open your heart and mind." Her father said fervently.

Carola did as she was told. Then she felt the rush of power, or strength and hope. She heard the voice… I am Kid Draciel Carola. I will follow only you!

She was not supposed to tell it's name until she left. Carola followed her father out of the shrine. The case was closed and the torches died out as soon as they left. The entire dining hall was silent. They waited expectantly. Carola held up the charm of her bit beast and said in a voice that rang through the hall. "HE SAYS HIS NAME IS KID DRACIEL!"

The cheering was almost deafening. Carola, however, had no illusions as to what lay ahead. The Abbey was a long, hard way to live, but then again, so would the Path that Ozuma, Miriam, Joseph, and Dunga were destined to take…

Years passed. Too slowly in Diana's opinion. Diana Giancarlo HATED the soft, easy life of the rich! As soon as she was off at college she would NEVER, EVER show her face around her abusive father again. She would also not take college the way her cousin Boris had. In her father's eyes Boris could do no wrong, yet here he was, spending his vacation from College flopped on his ASS and doing nothing but eating cookies, reading books, and drawling on and on about how NICE it was to be back home in the lap of luxury.

And Robert was nobody's favorite child. Diana's mother had died giving birth to him and their father never let him forget it. Poor Robert found his only solace in the journals of his ancestors, and the stories that his sister had to tell him. Diana wished soundly that Destiny would come knocking on Robert's door, taking him faaaaaarrrrr away from the repressive atmosphere of the Giancarlo household.

Especially considering the mood her father was in when Diana accidentally let slip that Robert was dating a kid from Scotland named Johnny. Diana winced as her father strode purposefully into Robert's room with a riding whip. "DADDY DADDY PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO HIM!! IT'S NOT HIS FAULT…."

"He's the only son… and ungrateful wretch…. What he did… has he forgotten his mother's sacrifice to bring him into this world???"

"What's going on?" Boris asked as they passed him in the corridors.

"Boris call the police! He's in one of his moods! He'll kill Robert!" Diana had known quite acutely what her father meant to do.

Boris turned and pelted down the hallway. Diana followed her father.

He found Robert in his room, immersed in Romeo and Juliet. 'How appropriate,' Diana thought sadly. For both Robert and Johnny were about to be "star-crossed."

Robert screamed, and cried, and sobbed, and right about the time his father left him bleeding and broken on the floor the police and medics came in and took Mr. Giancarlo away. Since Boris was the oldest, the policeman put him in charge. The EMT said that Robert wasn't too badly hurt, but the whip had left lacerations that would scar him for life.

Johnny stayed hidden in the closet. "It's safe to… **sniff**… come out…" Robert sobbed. He was only thirteen after all. Nobody cared about what would have happened to him except Diana. And she would be leaving soon. She'd have to, her father would probably blame her for sending Boris to get help.

Johnny came out with a sigh of relief. "I thought he was gonna kill you."

"I don't think he'll be killing anyone anytime soon." Robert pointed to the police car driving his father away. "But I don't want to be here when he get's back. I think…" And his heart sank. "I think it would be safer if we broke up…"

"For both of us." Johnny agreed. "But that doesn't mean that we can't see each other again."

"How?" Robert asked. Johnny sat up on the bed, dug into his waist pouch, and pulled out an oddly shaped object. "Ever see one of these?"

It looked like a top, with a spring powered launcher and a picture of some kind of lizard on the front. The top had the words, 'Salamalyon' printed neatly around the edges.

"No I haven't, what is it?"

"It's a beyblade!" Johnny grinned. "It's a game! Two players face off over a playing dish, complete with pitfalls, and they try to knock each other out of the ring! You lose if you're knocked out of the ring or your beyblade stops spinning! It's really cool, there are teams, there are tournaments, there's even a league! They call it the BBA! But best of all, it gets you out of the house and away from your father." Johnny said smugly. "I know a place that can set you up, if you dig it?" Johnny extended a hand to offer the deal.

Robert grinned, covering the smaller boy's hand in his. "I dig." And they sealed the deal with a kiss. Their last as a couple.

The two of them took a limo to a huge three story building. Johnny waved some kind of pass to the receptionist. "Go right on in Johnny." The woman said with a smile.

"Thanks Judy!" Johnny grinned. "That's Judy, she's working her internship here. Her son Max gets to come with her, and you'll get to travel too if this works."

Robert followed him down the corridor, looking this way and that in curiosity. Then Johnny opened a door to a huge room with high vaulted ceilings. Kids greeted him as they passed. For Robert's benefit, Johnny greeted them each by name.

"Hey there Max, how's it hangin?" Johnny asked a blonde kid wearing overalls and a green top.

"Things are going great! Emily finally got her bit beast!"

"Hey Ollie, nice attack ring you got there." The green haired youngster grinned and waved from where he was working on customizing his beyblade.

"Thanks Johnny!"

"OY 'RIQUE!" Johnny shouted across to a crowd that was gathered around a beydish.

"Yeah Johnny?" A kid with sunstreaked blonde hair asked, coming out of the crowd.

"Where'd Mr. Dickinson get to? I need a favor from him!" Johnny called as they closed the distance.

"I'm right here Johnny." Mr. Dickinson made his way through the crowd also. "We're having trouble with that new bit beast. That silly Griffon won't listen to anybody here!"

Through the crowd Robert caught a glimpse of the most magnificent creature that he'd ever seen! It was a glowing pink griffon covered in armor. The creature was bristled, curled in what he immediately identified as a defensive posture. The apprentices gathered around the dish were staying well back from it.

Johnny explained the situation to Mr. Dickinson. "We can send him anywhere, as long as it's away from his father." Johnny concluded.

"Well, we did need a fourth member." Robert wasn't listening, his eyes were on the enormous creature in the center of the dish.

Their eyes met, the creature's guard relaxed slightly. He looked at Robert with a curious, steady gaze. come to me little one. A voice hissed inside his head.

Robert jumped, a hand going up to his ear. You will not hear me that way. Come, for I grow weary of the brutality that I see around me. Come, for we are of one mind, one and the same. They do not understand you, they do not understand me… this is my true home, and yours.

Robert realized that he was walking toward the beydish. The distance between them began to shrink. Suddenly, Robert was at the edge of the dish. The beyblade in its center began to glow. Then it lifted off, flying to Robert's hand. He caught it deftly. The voice said… My name is Griffolyon… Well met Robert… welcome to my world.

Robert looked around for the creature. It was gone. The entire room was silent. Mr. Dickinson came forward, clapping. "Bravo Robert! Well done!"

later

"So they're called bit beasts?" Robert asked as he and his new team mates gathered around the juice bar for some ice cream sodas.

"Yup." Oliver grinned. "Mine's Unicolyon."

"And they live inside of these… top things…"

"Beyblades." Enrique supplied helpfully. "Yup, that's about the size of it."

"And I'm supposed to join this new team… right?"

"yup." Johnny grinned. "And the one who names it gets to be the leader. The problem is that we can't think of any names, and we can't keep calling it the European team. There are _lots_ of _European_ teams." Johnny sneered his disgust.

Robert thought about that. His sister's words came back to him. 'When you name something, you name it after what you believe in.' What did HE, Robert believe in? Kindness, Compassion, Tolerance, Strength, Courage, Hope, Grace… like a king… a majesty… hm… "How about the Majestics." Robert suggested.

"As good a name as any." Enrique said with a shrug.

"Great! Robert here can be our fearless leader!" Johnny grinned.

"It's a beautiful name!" Oliver agreed.

"To the Majestics." Robert grinned, lifting his glass in a toast.

"TO THE MAJESTICS!!" They cheered.

Robert felt good up until the time he got in the door. He found Diana crying. Boris' expression was grim. "What's wrong?" Robert asked worriedly.

"Father, he's dead. The police car carrying him got into an accident. He went through the windshield. The seat belt cut him in half, LITERALLY!" Diana sobbed. "I know he's a drunk and I know how mean he was… but to die like that! He didn't deserve to die like that!" She choked back her sobs.

"But…" Robert's mind literally ground to a halt. Tears filled his eyes. He hadn't liked his father either, but that didn't mean that he deserved to die. "But what do we do?"

Boris sighed, sitting back in his chair and running his fingers though his hair. It was something that he did when he was nervous. The Abbey hadn't been cruel to him then. He was uncorrupted. "Balkov Abbey, where I'm doing my internship for school, has offered to take you two in if we can't find a place."

"I know a place, for me at least." Robert said hesitantly. "I joined a beyblade team while I was gone. Johnny suggested that I get into beyblading to get me away from dad. I guess I don't have to worry about him anymore. His family is a lot more friendly than ours was. I'll call him tomorrow and tell him what happened."

"BEYBLADING?" They both demanded.

"Just out of the blue you decide to join a beyblading team?" Diana demanded. "Did they give you a bit beast?"

"Yes, his name is Griffolyon. Our team is called, The Majestics." Robert explained. "Johnny's on it, and so are a few of his buddies. Mr. Dickinson offered to train me."

"THE Mr. Dickinson?" Boris demanded.

"You've heard of him?" Robert asked.

"Of course I've HEARD of him!" Boris exclaimed. "He's the president of the entire BBA! Forget Balkov Abbey cousin. If Mr. Dickinson wants you to train under him, you go!" 

"I'll go to the Abbey though." Diana said with a sigh. "I mean, I don't really have anyplace to go right?"

And so it was that Diana Giancarlo came to Balkov abbey at the tender age of thirteen. She would regret it sometimes, but with the roar of the crowds and the thrill of the battle, she would forget all the pain and loneliness.

Dark Dranzer was loose. Dark Dranzer had made it into the hands of Kai Hiwatari, Leader of the Blade Breakers. But Nyassa Hiwatari had no idea of Kai's existance. She had lived in the Abbey since her birth. She had heard of Kai of course, in hushed whispers in the halls between classes. But she had never seen his picture. She hadn't yet up two and two together. But all of this was about to change.

She was in the middle of History when she heard the sharp **rap rap rap! **Of somebody knocking on the door of the room. The teacher, irritated at being interrupted, went to the door. "Who is it? Who's…" She was interrupted as Ian came pelting into the room.

He panted out his message. "Voltaire wants… to talk to… Nyassa… He says it's urgent…" Ian said haltingly as he caught his breath. "He says… come now…"

Nyassa got up, snagged her school bag, and went to the door. "I'll come back as soon as I'm finished Sensei." Nyassa told her.

"Very well then, you don't keep the Master waiting." The teacher agreed.

Nyassa followed Ian down the hall. Nyassa could run while carrying twenty pounds, so the heavy backpack was no trouble.

They made it to the door of Voltaire's office in five minutes. Nyassa knocked. "Come in." Voltaire called.

Nyassa opened the door. "Ian said you wanted to talk to me?"

A boy was standing behind Voltaire. He had messy slate blue hair and blue, stripe shaped markings on his face. His eyes were the crimson red of freshly spilled blood. He had a scarf around his neck and wore a sleeveless top despite the cold Moscow weather. His pants were cargos, made of some kind of soft material.

"Sit." Voltaire told her, staring at her over the top of his reading glasses. "There's something that I wanted to talk to you about."

Nyassa sat. Voltaire folded up his reading glasses and put away a stack of papers. Nyassa waited. Finally he turned to her and said. "I'd like to introduce you to Kai Hiwatari, formerly of the Blade Breakers, now of the Abbey. I wanted to introduce you to him because… well… you are his clone."

"SAY FUCKING WHAT???" Nyassa demanded. She knew the only reason why Voltaire was going easy on Nyassa was because she was his granddaughter. That meant that Nyassa got special treatment. "I'M HIS WHAT??? YOU'D BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXCUSE OJIISAN!!!" Nyassa yelled.

Kai sneered at Voltaire. "I think you owe me an explanation too." He said, voice dangerously soft.

"You, Kai, had such high empathy, that I decided to have a back up in case of an incident like the Dark Dranzer Fire at the abbey a decade ago. It turns out I was right. You got into trouble. We couldn't keep you around. You had too little self-control. It was thought you would never amount to anything. We let you go and concentrated on raising Nyassa."

Tears were filling Nyassa's eyes. 'Then what am I?' She thought. 'Am I me? Am I really Kai in a female body? Am I something not quite him, but not quite normal?' "How dare you!" Nyassa snarled. "You think you can play God? You think you can mess with nature?? Your hubris is disgusting! What am I to you then? Disposable? A pawn? Dispensable? If you weren't family I'd kill you right now! You f------- asshole!!"

"Calm down Nyassa." Voltaire said hurriedly. "You should be proud."

"Of what?" Nyassa growled. Kai's face was about as enraged as Nyassa felt. Nobody would ever see him this angry again. Nobody would ever see Nyassa blow up like this again.

"Of… of what you achieved her at the abbey, despite the odds that…"

"That a clone wouldn't succeed?" Nyassa sneered. "First you say that I'm not really me, I'm really Kai. Then you say that I'm not as good as Kai is, and so you've brought him back to the Abbey to _replace_ me?" She sobbed. "How could you be so cold to your own granddaughter? I thought I was your favorite! I thought you trusted me! I thought I could trust you!!! And now you bring this kid in here and say that I'm him and that I'm not as good as he is because I'm a copy and that you've brought him here to replace me!!???" Nyassa's voice cracked. She got up and walked out of Voltaire's office.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Voltaire demanded.

"Someplace where pawns go when they're captured." Sneered Nyassa.

She growled, striding down the levels until she came to the Labyrinthine. She followed the blue light path to the sealed chamber where she knew Tala would be meditating.

"Nyassa?" Tala looked up at her approach. "What's wrong?"

Nyassa burst into tears. Tala wrapped his arms comfortingly around her shoulders. Nyassa managed to blubber out the whole story. Tala rubbed her back comfortingly, murmuring soothing things to her.

Of course Nyassa wasn't a duplicate of Kai. Look at how he acted and look at how she acted. The two of them were as different as night and day. And don't worry, she wasn't going to be replaced, not when she could beat the crap out of Wolborg the way she had last practice. And besides, if she were Kai's exact duplicate, then how come he was a guy and she was a girl? "Don't worry Nya-chan. You'll be alright."

After awhile Nyassa was alright, but she never trusted Voltaire again. Her confidence in practice dropped off. She was still as powerful as before. But she was powered by her rage and her hatred of Voltaire, lashing out in the one way that she could. But even though she still followed him to the letter, the spirit of his orders was not obeyed.

And so we begin our story, three days before Kai's match against Spencer…

END NOTES: 1.) Mien Kampf means 'My Struggle' it is Hitler's autobiography in which he says exactly what he is going to do to take control of the German Government, including what he considers 'Sub Humans' this wasn't just Jews, but Gypsies, Gays, Poles, Handicapped, retarded, and others. Natari's mother is very likely Neo-Nazi, I haven't decided yet. But Natari and MIchael's father is the good one.


	2. For from it's Hell hole Dogs flee and st...

****

Echo

__

Chapter 1

"SWING BATTA BATTA BATTA! SWING BATTA BATTA BATTA!" Tala warned as he stood, poised on the mound.

The Abbey children were enjoying a rare treat, a game of baseball. It was Natari Parker's only solace, her one tie to her past. She played it with all her heart, knowing that somewhere on the other side of the world her twin might be playing baseball too.

It was the bottom of the ninth, the bases were loaded, and Natari Parker was at the bat. She spat on the snow, which froze. The game was boys against girls, and the score was dead even.

Her father's advice came back to her. _Close your eyes. Center your weight. Flex your shoulders and take a gooooood grip. Focus on the pitcher's chest. That will tell you when they're ready to move. Then when he comes after you keep your eye on the ball._

Ian had a self-appointed himself male cheerleader. He grinned at her from the opposing dugout chanting, "Lose your shirt, lose your pants, let's all do the nookie dance!" Natari did not rise to his bait.

Ian had a habit of trying to say funny things during a sports game to try and distract her. After all, it's hard to hit a homer when you're busy laughing your ass off over a sick joke. Luckily for her Bryan calmly whacked him on the head with a random bottle of powerade.

There, Tala's chest muscles flexed, he wound up, there was the pitch! WHACKK! The Ball went deep, deep into the outfield. The girls cheered. Natari dropped the bat and pounded toward first. The dead grass was tall in the outfield and Spencer was still busy searching for where the ball had gone when Natari reached first base. Spencer threw it to first, but she was loooooonnnnng gone! Natari was now at second.

The baseman, King, cried. "Give it to me! Give it to me!" King was not very popular, and happened to be rivals with the first baseman, who took the opportunity to peg him in the face with the ball. While Ian was busy cackling in glee and King was trying to rub the stars out of his eyes Natari pelted towards third. The shortstop ran after the ball since King was out of it and threw it to third. Natari was halfway down the homestretch when the third baseman got the ball, but not for nothing was Natari the fastest female message runner in the abbey.

"SAFE!!!" The umpire cried.

"YEEEEEEHAAAAA!!!" Natari heard somebody cry from the fence surrounding the field. "Hey Emily! I didn't know the Abbey played baseball!"

The girls were celebrating, but Natari turned, panting, and studied the two at the fence. A guy and a girl. The girl had orange, chin length hair, glasses, and liquid green eyes. Despite this, her face seemed to be drawn into an expression of hauteur that ruined the attractive quality of her eyes. The boy had twenty-four hour red hair and blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. He wore an USA Olympic Team baseball hat turned backwards to protect the back of his neck from the biting wind and the sun reflecting off of the snow. The sun off of the snow could burn you as easily as a week in Florida. Too many of the foreign beybladers currently visiting Russia were getting sunburned. The redness of sunburn was already covering his nose.

"Hey." Natari came to the fence.

"Nice hit!" The boy grinned, punching his hand into his catcher's mit.

"They call me the demon of home plate." Natari grinned. "Where you from?"

"New York." The girl answered in faultless Russian.

"You don't need to use Russian with me." Natari told him. "I speak English, it's my native language."

"Oh." The girl rolled her eyes. "Well done. I'll bet you could actually beat Mikey here. He does it for the girls."

"Really? I do it because it reminds me of home." Natari said with a smile. "So which one is it Mikey, the Yankees, the Mets, or do you hate both and prefer the Red Sox."

"The Red Sox suck." Mikey answered. "They shouldn't have traded the Big Bambino, he was the best thing that ever happened to 'em."

"Cool… Yankee's rule." Natari grinned giving him a high five. "Hideki Matsui, Derek Jeter, and The Moose!"

"Da Moose is loose yo!" Mikey agreed. "Right Emily? Da Moose is loose."

"Retard." Emily commented.

"Natari…" Natari said, extending a hand.

"Natari???" Michael asked, eyes widening.

"M… MICHAEL??" Natari's voice cracked.

Everything came down on her. It was like all those years there had been a veil over her eyes. Now the veil was gone and Natari was back. Her twin… they were together again… yet deep, deep in her heard Natari knew it could never be. She could feel what was left of her heart after all those years at the Abbey breaking. It hurt too much… and yet maybe…

Then they cried. "OH MY GOD!! IT'S YOU!" The two of them bounced up and down on their respective sides of the fence.

"Oh my God it's who?" Emily demanded.

"Emily, I'd like to introduce you to Natari. She's my… my best friend from a loooonnngg way back. She's the one who gave me Trygle!"

"Then what are you doing in the Abbey?" Emily asked skeptically.

"Because my parents gave me away to Voltaire. Or my mom did. She signed the custody papers giving Voltaire custody of me." Natari said darkly, looking out over the field. It was frozen. They had had to shovel out the bases and spread salt on the field.

"Oh…" Emily said softly. She was a lot more respectful after that.

Natari had picked up on Michael's referring to her as a friend. He didn't want his teammates to know that she was his sister. The Michael that Natari knew didn't want their pity. The Michael that Natari knew would try to be strong, do everything to help his sister, even give his life. But nobody could EVER know.

"NATARI COME ON OVER!!" Carola called. "WE'RE GOING TO THE STALINGRAD CAFÉ TO CELEBRATE!"

"COMING!!" Natari sighed sadly. "Well Mikey… I guess this is good-bye, again…"

"Yeah." Michael wiped the tear away from his eye. "Yeah I guess it is."

"See you on the other side." Natari gave the usual Blader's farewell."

Michael watched her go. "Hey Natari, what's wrong?" Queen asked.

"Nothing… just thought I saw a ghost." Natari said with a sad, twisted smile.

"A ghost." Queen rolled her eyes. "A GHOST she says. She's worried about ghosts when she just got us three RBI's and a Home Run."

"Yeah… yeah it's silly isn't it." Natari said, wiping her eyes.

"Are you CRYING?" Demanded Ian.

"Nope… just got something in my eyes…" She said, trying to put on a cheerful smile. But then she thought, 'After all, I've cried enough tears to last a lifetime. I have nothing left to cry.' Or so she had thought until she saw Michael at the fence.

The Stalingrad Café had been named by Diana Giancarlo. She had written a poem at its opening two years ago that compared the Abbey to the Siege of Stalingrad in World War Two. _'For from it's Hell hole Dogs flee and stones crumble. Only we, the soldiers endure.'_ Ever since then it had been a favorite hangout of Abbey Students and Journeymen. The adults bought beer and hot mulled wine. The children feasted on cocoa, coffee, cookies and biscotti, pasties of different kinds, and even ice cream sodas!

Of course, Rei didn't know that when he walked in. He had noticed that a lot of people were staring at him of course. But he was foreign and they made an allowance for that. So soon most of the kids turned back to their pizza and the adults turned back to their drinks. And Rei sat down at the bar.

Rei listened as Carola told about her exploits as a Beyblader. The Saint Shield had developed quite a sense of humor since she'd come to the Abbey. She picked up a stick of Pocky and, puffing at it like a cigar she said, "So then Bryan has Falborg grab muh Kid Drashiel shee? And he has him drop Kid Drashial shee? But that didn't work shee, so he had Falborg peck at his shell shee? And Falborg's beak shattered shee? An ya wanna know what happened then shee?" The eager abbey apprentices gathered around her. "Well den shee, I hash Kid Drashiel use his headbuttin' technique shee, and she butshim out of the dish shee?" They nodded eagerly. "And thish chigar ain't real it'sh a pocky shtick sheee??"

The kids laughed as Carola took a big, thoughtful bite of pocky. She chewed, and the apprentices waited eagerly. "Yup, and that's how I beat the crap out of Bryan."

Rei laughed too. "Oh you think it's funny Blade Breaker?" Carola asked slyly, arms crossed over her chest. "You just watch. If the Demolition Boys don't get you, my cousin Ozuma and his Team Saint Shield will." She said with a smirk. "You just wait and see."

Rei made a mental note of that. "I'm sorry, it's just the way that you told the story."

"Don't be sorry, I was going for the effect."

That was when Diana came onto the stage. They had been doing an open stage kareoke day at the Stalingrad, and Diana had come up with an act inside of the fifteen minutes they had been there. There was a saying that Abbey Women had voices like songbirds and repertoires like funeral parades. Diana had been responsible for that!

The Emcee said, "We've got a volunteer. Diana here is going to sing 'At the End of the Day' from Les Miserables."

"Oh no! Not that old thing again!" Carola moaned. But Rei had never seen Les Mis. He looked on with interest as the purple haired teen

__

At the end of the day you're another day older   
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor   
It's a struggle, it's a war   
And there's nothing that anyone's giving   
One more day standing about   
What is it for?   
One day less to be living!

At the end of the day you're another day colder   
And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out   
The chill   
And the righteous hurry past   
They don't hear the little ones crying   
And the winter is coming on fast   
Ready to kill   
One day nearer to dying!At the end of the day there's another day dawning   
And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise   
Like the waves crash on the sand   
Like a storm that'll break any second   
There's a hunger in the land   
There's a reckoning still to be reckoned and   
There's gonna be hell to pay   
At the end of the day!

Rei watched, awed, as Diana depicted the plight of Fantine, a lowly factory worker. But Carola seemed to have heard all of this before. When he whispered that, Carola cackled softly to herself. "Diana's from the Abbey, do you know what they say about Abbey Women?"

"No." Rei admitted.

"They say that Abbey Women have voices like songbirds and repertoires like a funeral parade." Carola hissed in his ear. "Diana comes here a lot. She's the one who named this place. She's got a fondness for it."

"She probably identifies with the song." Rei suggested.

"Just you watch yourself. Diana's bit beast, Master Drigar, can chop up enemy bit beasts to pieces!" Carola whispered.

Diana finished her solo and, amid thunderous applause, she stepped off the stage and joined the crowd around the dancefloor.

Natari gathered herself to sing. The Emcee announced that she would be singing, "Who am I?" Also from Les Mis.

Rei got up, flushing a bit, and went over to her. "May I have this dance?" He asked.

Diana grinned wickedly. "If you like sore toes." She said, taking his proffered hands. And they danced. Rei was certain that people were staring now.

"Diana wasn't it?" Rei asked curiously. "I heard your singing. I've never gotten to see Les Miserables. Is it good?"

"Very!" Diana said with a grin. "It's my favorite."

__

He thinks that man is me   
He knew him at a glance!   
That stranger he has found   
This man could be my chance!   
Why should I save his hide?   
Why should I right this wrong   
When I have come so far   
And struggled for so long?   
If I speak, I am condemned.   
If I stay silent, I am damned!

Rei sighed, then he tripped slightly. "Oops, sorry."

"Follow me then." Diana said with an understanding smile. "I probably dance better. I've been dancing since I was two."

"Really? I didn't think they'd allow such things at the abbey."

__

I am the master of hundreds of workers.   
They all look to me.   
Can I abandon them?   
How would they live   
If I am not free?   
If I speak, I am condemned.   
If I stay silent, I am damned!

"They do. We can do whatever we want as long as we do whatever they say."

"Sounds complicated." Rei said with one of his eager smiles.

"It is, kind of. I mean, if they say we can't do something, then we can't do it. But other than that we have the run of the place. The D-Boys have more restrictions on them because they're competing. Me, I'm on the secondary team, but I don't have it nearly as bad as they do."

__

Who am I?   
Can I condemn this man to slavery?   
Pretend I do not see his agony?   
This innocent who bears my face   
Who goes to judgement in my place.

"Besides, I have somebody out there who cares for me. I just came because I wanted a private school. Little did I know that this was more than just a school." Diana said with a crooked smile.

"Don't you have any family?" Rei asked, eyes wide.

__

Who am I?   
Can I conceal myself for evermore?   
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?   
And must my name until I die   
Be no more than an alibi?   
Must I lie?

"I don't have much. My parents are dead. Boris is my cousin. He convinced Voltaire to take me in until I'm legal. My little brother has his own beyblade team and it's turning up roses for him last time I checked. Even Mr. Dickinson has spoken favorably of them." Diana explained. "So we didn't try to convince him to follow us when my brother had his own life to live. I went with Boris, because I had nowhere else to go. He's legal. I'm not, almost though, and then if I want to I can get out of this Hellhole."

"It must be hard." Rei commented.

__

How can I ever face my fellow men?   
How can I ever face myself again?   
My soul belongs to God, I know   
I made that bargain long ago   
He gave me hope when hope was gone   
He gave me strength to journey on

When Robert saw Rei dancing with his older sister he felt obliged to intervene. He made his way steadily over to where they danced. "Diana!" He called. Diana jumped, letting go of Rei. She turned to face him.

__

Who am I? Who am I?   
I am Jean Valjean!

"So, little brother." Diana grinned as she turned to leave…

Robert tensed…

__

And so, Javert, you see it's true   
That man bears no more guilt than you!   
Who am I?   
24601!

"How do you like war?" Diana asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye with an incredible mien of drama. Diana left the dancefloor and left Rei dumbfounded.

END NOTES:

I LOVE LES MISERABLES!!!!!! I'm taking the lyrics from two of the songs from it. The first one is called "At the End of the Day." The second song is called, "Who am I?" It's also labeled on the sound track as, "Valjean's Soliloquy." I was kind of comparing Diana and Robert to Valjean and Javert. Poor Javert, here's the thing about him, he committed suicide at the end of the play.


	3. Stranger and familiar

****

Echo

Notes: I was gonna make this fic a Re/Ka. I think I"ll make it Ty/Ka now. Don't ask me why. But there is a Re/Ka moment inherant in this portion of the fic.

**__**

Chapter 2

"YOU WENT WHERE???" Kai demanded, red faced, of Rei.

"To the Stalingrad Café, why?"

"Because the Stalingrad Café is the stomping ground of most of the Abbey Journeymen and Bladers when they're off duty!" Kai ranted. "You could have been hurt! Beaten up! Mugged! Mauled!"

"But I wasn't…" Rei protested, remembering the looks that had been shot at him upon entering the café. If looks could kill Rei would have been shot on sight.

"Just promise me that you won't go there alone ever again!" Kai growled. "I don't want anybody to get hurt this close to the championships. You have no idea how much is at stake here."

"Sure we do Kai." Tyson grinned. He had a chocolate chip cookie dangling from his mouth and the most adorable expression on his face. "That's why Rei won't go there alone again, right Rei?"

"I'll bring Max with me." Rei said with a nod.

"Uh, Me? Uh-uh! I'm not going anywhere! Not after the Demolition Boys took Draciel. Rei going there you're playing with fire."

"The people at the abbey aren't the real enemy." Rei argued. "The real enemy is Voltaire. We should feel sorry for the children there, not afraid of them."

"And what if some of them agree with Voltaire?" Kenny asked. "If they're loyal to him and are willing to follow him?"

"There will always be people like that." Tyson gulped down the last bite of his cookie, joining in Rei's argument. "But most of the kids there are just that, kids like us. We should have pity on Tala and his thugs and not hate them."

"And Tala would accept your pity?" Kai asked with a smirk. "I knew Tala ages before he came to the abbey. He would rather die than be pitied. Tyson, Rei, your compassion is good, but this is soooo not the time or the place for it."

"Kai what is WRONG with you?" Rei demanded.

"And what's wrong with you Rei? Me, I want to make sure that we survive the championships without losing either our bit beasts or our LIVES. Voltaire… my grandfather… he's willing to kill to get what he wants, control of the entire world!"

"But they can't ALL be like Voltaire!" Protested Rei. "That would be like saying all blondes are stupid, or that all black people like basketball. It's a stereotype. But I saw… I met somebody who goes beyond the stereotypes today, and she's FROM the abbey!"

"What's her name?" Kai asked with a resigned sigh.

"Diana."

"AHHHH!" Kai grinned evilly. "Diana Giancarlo, the Abbey Sparrow. She's related to Robert, which probably explains why she doesn't meet the typical abbey stereotype."

"No way. Robert has relatives at the abbey?" Tyson asked. "Are they as obsessed with telling long drawn out fish tales that never really happened as Robert is or are we just lucky?"

"She's obsessed with music as much as Robert is obsessed with storytelling and family history." Kai responded. "But that's neither here nor there. And she's to be initiated into a team soon, which means that pretty soon she'll be our enemy as much as Tala is."

"But she seemed so nice…" Rei sighed, looking disconsolately out the window.

"She is, but that doesn't matter Rei. What matters is what has to be done." Max said, putting a consoling hand on Rei's back. "It's okay. All we have to do is beat the Demolition Boys and the people in the Abbey are free to go on their way."

"I really wish it didn't have to be that way." Rei said, as he looked out the window.

Meanwhile, little did Rei know that Mr. Dickinson was thinking along the same lines. Voltaire knocked on his door. "Come in." The president of the BBA sighed.

Voltaire marched in, steering four girls ahead of him. "Mr. Dickinson, how nice to see you." He said with pleasant poison. "I wanted to register a second team to the Abbey. May I introduce their captain and my Granddaughter Nyassa."

Nyassa, smiling warmly at Mr. Dickinson. "Pleased to meet you Mr. D." She said cheerfully.

That was when Mr. Dickinson got a good look at Nyassa and her team mates. Nyassa looked about a year younger than Kai, but other than that she looked exactly like a female version of Kai!

The tallest Mr. Dickinson recognized by word of mouth as Diana Giancarlo, Robert's older sister. The family resemblance was plain in hair and eye color. She had a narrower nose than Robert did, and her hairstyle was like his, only in a long, low ponytail similar to the style Voltaire usually wore.

The third girl, about a year older than Kai, was dressed in a blue version of the Saint Shield Uniform. She wore her hair exactly like the Saint Shield's captain, Ozuma, only instead of the streak of red, she had a streak of sapphire blue. But it was her eyes that gave her lineage away, they were the bright green of somebody who was born and bred a Saint Shield.

The final girl, who had her blue eyes focused on the floor and a melancholy mien on her face, had rust red hair kept in place by a New York Yankees hat and wore a Micky Mantle Jersey. She was dressed in a blue baseball uniform from head to toe, she EVEN wore cleats.

By my life! Mr. Dickinson thought. This could be trouble, for the girls at least. I know Diana, she won't be a problem, but that last girl easily looks like she could be Michael's Clone. "Welcome to the BBA Nyassa." Mr. Dickinson extended a hand to her. "We'll schedule your initiation into the BBA for the night before Kai's match with Spencer, that acceptable?" He asked Voltaire coldly.

"Perfect." Voltaire smiled his evil icy smile.

Nyassa sneered right back at Voltaire, even though she hadn't been the object of the villain's scrutiny. This could indeed be trouble. Mr. Dickinson entertained the idea that not all of Voltaire's pawns were loyal to him. It would make more sense, and would be less frightening to think of than the idea of a whole army of youngsters brainwashed to Voltaire's evil ways.

"Thank you Mr. Dickinson. I am proud to be a member of the BBA." Nyassa shot Voltaire a look, like she was prouder of that membership than she was at being a member of the Abbey. Considering the treatment that Kai reported during his time at the abbey, that was very likely. But there was a way this girl carried herself, aloof, a pride to her stance, and a startling depth into her crimson eyes that reminded Mr. Dickinson of the way Kai had looked when he'd first met him.

And there was hope! There was a power behind her gaze that made the president of the BBA's heart swell in hope, both for the world and the game that he had made his life's work.

The girl who resembled Michael sighed, dejectedly, leaning back in the chair that he'd offered the girls. "If only my brother weren't on the other side…" Mr. Dickinson heard, or thought he heard her whisper. But like a great many things that an adult doesn't understand, he forgot he'd ever heard that remark.

Later, much later, Mr. Dickinson would have wished that he HAD remembered. But by then it was too late for him to stop disaster.


	4. Keep the faith

Echo 

Notes: I've left this fic for ages, and I want to get back to it again.

This is the sequence I've always wanted to write. A conversation entirely of music. However, it also requires easily the longest disclaimer in songfic history. So here goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Knock Three Times, the poem about Dragon Wings, Walk On, Missing You, Jubilee, Castles in the Sky, Beautiful Day, Brother My Brother, The Darkest Night, I am your Enemy, or Beyblades. They belong to I don't know, I don't know, Anne Mc Caffery, U2, I don't know, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ian Van Dahl, U2, Blessed Union of Souls, Anne Mc Caffery, t.A.T.u. and I don't know. Happy now?

Warning: There is a yuri warning for this chapter. And I am not talking about the demolition boy. You have been warned.

!!!!!!!!########$$$$$$$$&&&&&&(((((()))))))

It was late. Michael was exhausted from training. He got his own room. Eddy and Steve shared a room next door and Emily had a room beyond that. Judy had a room on Michael's other side. Michael was just about to go to bed when he heard something hit the windowsill. It sounded something like a baseball hitting the sill.

Then Michael heard it.

"_Tie a yellow ribbon_

_Around the batting-t_

_It's been eleven years_

_Do you still remember me?  
If I don't see a ribbon_

_Around the batting-T_

_I'll turn around_

_I'll leave town_

_Just forget about me."_

Michael jumped straight up in the air. "NATARI!" He cried, rushing to the window.

There was Natari, dressed from head to toe in a Micky Mantle baseball uniform. A baseball bat was slung lazily over her shoulder. She held the offending ball in her other hand. Michael opened the window. Natari looked up at him expectantly.

Michael realized what she was doing. A conversation held with music.

"_Knock three times, _

_On the drainpipe to talk to me_

_Twice on the brick_

_If you need to go."_

Natari nodded.

"_Oh tongue give sound to joy and sing_

_Of hope and promise on Dragoon's wings."_

She was worried about the championships. Michael realized that if the Blade Breakers defeated the Demolition Boys, that Voltaire would be arrested for what he had done and the children of the abbey would be free to return to their former homes. Then, if that was true, all of Natari's hopes rested on Tyson and Dragoon, and all of his hopes too.

"_Oh no, be strong_

_Walk on, walk on_

_What you've got_

_They can't deny it_

_Can't sell it_

_Or buy it_

_Walk on, walk on_

_Stay safe tonight._

_I know it aches and your_

Heart it breaks, and you can only take so much 

_Walk on." _

Natari shook her head. Her voice, when she replied, was worried, shaky. She didn't believe in herself. Natari had always been the shyer of the two of them.

"_It's been too long and I'm lost without you_

_What am I gonna do_

_Said I been needing you_

_Wanting you."_

Michael smiled warmly down at his sister.

"_I can tell by the way you're standing_

_With your eyes filling with tears_

_That it's habit alone_

_Keeps you turning for home_

_Even though your home is right here_

_Where the brother who loves you is waiting_

_And I'll wait just as long as need be_

_When we look back and say_

_Those were challenging days_

_But now we're a family."_

Natari responded to his assurance with a slow smile.

"_Oh tell me why_

_Do we build castles in the sky_

_Oh tell me why_

_All the castles way up high_

_Please tell me why_

_Do we build castles in the sky_

_Oh tell me why_

_All the castles way up high."_

Michael responded with a shrug and sang.

"_It's a beautiful day_

_Sky falls you feel like- It's a beautiful day_

_Don't let it get away."_

Natari nodded, taking a deep breath and straightening up. She tapped her baseball twice on the brick wall of the hotel and sang.

"_I can try, brother my brother." _

Michael knew that song too. As a parting phrase he sang…

"_The darkest night must end in dawn_

_The sun dispel the dreamers fear_

_When shall my soul's bleak hopeless pain_

_Find solace in it's darkening weyr?"_

!!!!!!!!!!!##########$$$$$$$$&&&&&&&&&&

There was a knock on Emily's door late that night. "Come in." Mariah turned the door knob and entered. "Hi Em… I hope I'm not intruding."

Em, that was what Mariah called her sometimes. "Not at all." Emily sat up in bed. She patted a space beside her. "By all means, join me." She flushed at a possible interpretation of that comment.

Mariah sat by her side. "I'm worried." She sighed, leaning back against the pile of pillows. This bed was really too big for one person, Emily thought. "About… well… about what's been going on. I can't help but think that Voltaire wanted Kai to leave the abbey like he did, after Dark Dranzer I mean."

"What makes you think that?" Asked Emily. She hadn't thought of it that way.

"Well, a lot of things. But I think that he wanted Kai to get us out of the way so that nothing stood between him and the Blade Breakers." Mariah sighed, looking up at the ceiling from where she lay. "But I have the most awful feeling, that he hasn't even begun to show his cards. And look at the condition all of our teams are in. We don't have our bit beasts anymore. We'd be toast."

"Yeah." Mariah had a point. "I think you might be right. But there really isn't much we can do." Emily began mentally reviewing everything she'd heard about the abbey and her encounters with the Demolition Boys, Voltaire and Boris.

Then she realized that Mariah had come for more than confirmation of a theory. Mariah was too emotional for that. Emily realized that Mariah had come for reassurance. So she wrapped her arms around Mariah's waist. Emily leaned in to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Hold me." Mariah whispered softly.

"I will." Emily said tenderly. Mariah brought a warm feeling to the pit of her stomach.

Mariah paused, looking up at Emily in surprise.

Emily reached into her for strength and pulled Mariah into a long, delicate kiss. Mariah stiffened, and Emily was waiting for rejection. But Mariah slowly leaned into the kiss. Emily ran her tongue along Mariah's lips, begging entry. Mariah opened her mouth for Emily and the littlest All Star explored it.

They separated briefly for air, before Emily delicately pushed Mariah backwards on the bed. "Mariah." She sighed, taking in a long, deep whiff of Mariah's scent, roses. Emily slipped her hands up under Mariah's nightshirt, caressing her body. Mariah's breath hitched as Emily's searching fingers hit a nerve.

"Hmm…" Mariah asked breathily.

"Should we be doing this?" Emily asked softly.

"I want you Em… I have for so long." Mariah said softly.

"That's good enough for me then." Emily said softly as she ran kisses up Mariah's neck. Mariah shivered, letting out a noise akin to a cat's purr.

"Take me Emily." Mariah murmured in pleasure.

Emily smiled, preparing to do just that.

!!!!#######$$$$$$$$$$$&&&&&&&((((()))))))))))))

Silva, Voltaire's capable wife, was fitting Diana for the padded leather armor she used as opposed to her brother Robert's preference for metal. Never mind that in old days, leather armor was worn by disgraced knights. Leather you could dance in. Leather you could sing in, although it would be rather hot under the lights on a stage. Leather you could move around in once it was properly conditioned. Metal? As they say in rap culture, "Oh HELL no."

Nyassa was sitting by. "So Voltaire expects us to see battle hmm?"

"Apparantly." Diana said as she held her arms up for Silva's strip measure.

"Well." Silva said as she took down the length of Diana's arms. "I did my best to protect you girls from my husband. But it can't be helped now. Every blader has to fight at some time in their career. But I've prepared you the best way that I can. And when Voltaire implement's his next phase of the plans he's got for you, you'll be very busy. Sing for me Diana?"

"My pleasure madam Silva." Said Diana.

"_Smoke of the cigars_

_Oldbouquet_

_24 hours a day I am watching TV_

_The balcony is open wide_

_And telephone doesn't ring_

_Cannot breathe without you_

_And I am telling to myself_

_It just happened_

_I am your enemy now_

_What crime have I done?_

_It just happened _

_I am your enemy now_

_I won't ask for forgiveness."_

Natari paused at the door to lend her voice, tears streaming from her eyes.

"_City doesn't sleep_

_Time stops._

_Now, who are you playing with_

_Day or year_

_Was announced boycott for me_

_I cannot understand how to live now_

You cannot forgive me It just happened 

_I am your enemy now_

_What crime have I done_

_It just happened_

_I am your enemy now_

_I won't ask for forgiveness._"

"Oh dear." Silva remarked. "Natari you look as though you've seen a ghost."

"Michael." Natari sobbed. "He's here. And when the time comes, if the Breakers don't win. I'll have to fight him. I'll have to fight my own BROTHER!" She sobbed, slamming the door shut behind her as she walked into the room.

"I'm really sorry Natari-chan." Nyassa stood up. "You think I like having to fight Kai, my clone, my other half? He's probably just as upset about it as I am."

"And for all my drama, I do not enjoy the prospect of battle with my otooto." Diana's rich alto voice commented.

"You can put your arms down now pop tart." Silva said with a smile. "Ooh I can't wait to get started on this armor." She walked over to Natari and turned her chin upwards to meet her eyes. "It can't be helped Natari. The best thing, and I think the only thing that you can do about now is to hope. Don't ever lose that hope, it's your most endearing trait. Don't ever let the light of hope go out, because when you do, you lose more than your life. You lose your soul." She pulled Natari to her in a hug. "Be careful, take care of yourself. Things will get better. I promise." She pulled back. "Now, all three of you, to bed."

Not that Natari could have slept that night. Michael's words hung in her head. _"Oh no, be strong. Walk on, walk on… stay safe tonight."_ And Silva's, _"Don't ever let the light of hope go out, because when you do, you lose more than your life. You lose your soul." _But Natari couldn't sleep. It hurt too much.

"I love you too much brother." Natari whispered into the night. "Now that you're here… I don't want to fight. The worst thing to happen would be for us to fight each other. Yet a battle seems inevitable. My only hope is that Dragoon is every bit as strong as Tyson boasts he is." She pulled a little picture out from under her pillow. It showed her, Michael, and her father. Their mother, the one who had eventually betrayed her, had taken the picture, so she wasn't in it. She sat up in bed, gave the picture a kiss and whispered, "I love you." Before putting the picture under her pillow.

Still she couldn't sleep. Natari pulled out Ender's Game, a novel that was very popular here in the abbey. But the war against the buggers of Ender's nightmares only reminded her of her own war, one that seemed all too inevitable. Music didn't help, the song was "Who Needs Sleep," by the Barenaked Ladies. "Who need's sleep?" Natari muttered, tossing and turning. "Well I'm never gonna get it." She sighed, sitting up. There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Diana." Diana Jurgan, her teammate and best friend, was also Robert's older sister. "I brought chamomile tea."

"Come in." Natari sighed, closing Ender. She had been at the part where Ender was beating the crap out of Bonzo Madrid's army.

Diana sat down on the edge of the bed, setting the tea tray on a table. She brought over warm cups of tea for each of them. "I thought you could use some tea, considering that Michael's back in town. You seemed really upset at the fitting today."

"I am upset. I wanted to see my brother so bad. But if Voltaire's plans go through, the only place I'll see him is on the battlefield." Natari sighed, taking a sip of tea. "Now I know how the Civil War families felt, you know, who one brother would support the Union and the other supported the Confederacy."

"Yeah, it sucks sometimes. Think of it this way. Nyassa, Carola, and I are all in the same boat you are, maybe not a twin, but a relative certainly." Diana pointed out. "I'd have to fight Robert. Nyassa might end up taking Dranzer from Kai. Carola's a Saint Shield, and they're the enemies of the Abbey. We all have to fight our relatives at some point if Voltaire wins."

"So what do we do?" Natari asked.

"Voltaire may have command of our physical selves, but as long as we keep on loving our brothers/cousins/friends and each other there's no way that he's won. So keep the faith, Tyson and Dragoon will win someday, and when they do we'll all be free. So pray for them tonight okay? They'll need it considering how tough Tala is."

Natari nodded. "Okay, I'll try." She finished off the last of her cup of tea, and at last found sleep coming on. "I think I'm almost asleep now. Thanks for the tea."

"No problem." Diana flushed slightly, then she leaned forward and kissed Natari on the cheek. "Be strong." She whispered. Then she scooped up the tea tray and was gone.

Natari lay back in her bed and whispered. "I will keep the faith. Brother I won't forget you, EVER, I promise." Then she fell asleep.


	5. Live and let Nyassa

Echo 

By Nyassa Kaiba

Notes: I've changed my mind, I'll make this fic a Re/Ka. So sue me, I lied.

The next evening Kai managed to put together disguises for them when the Blade Breakers went out to the Stalingrad Café. He had even managed to cover up the triangles on his face with make up. It was uncomfortable, it felt like somebody had caked mud on his cheeks, but it worked. He wore leather pants instead of his cargoes and a blonde wig. He also wore a Slytherin T-shirt. That last touch had been Rei's, though where he had gotten it Kai had NO idea. "You look so sexy." Rei said with a smirk. "You're gonna have the girls all over you."

"Nobody's all over anybody at Stalingrad." Kai growled. "And that's the last thing that I need."

"Your face." Tyson giggled. "It just… I mean, you don't look like Kai. You look like… I don't know, but not like Kai."

"The triangles would stick out like a beacon, and I don't want the Demolition Boys down on my neck." Kai pointed out. "You look weird yourself in that red wig." He pointed out the silky red wig that Tyson had put in a low quip.

Rei rolled his eyes. "Pardon me for being frank, but the two of you make one weird pair."

"Ha." Tyson knocked Rei's wig off of his head. "You don't exactly look like a fruit basket yourself, and nowhere near as tasty." He clapped both hands over his mouth. "I didn't mean it that way! I swear I didn't!"

Rei batted his eyelashes at Tyson. "Don't worry, I didn't take it the wrong way." He pulled a red sox hat over his eyes. "How about now, do you recognize me?"

"I would if I already knew." Tyson observed, giving both Rei and Kai a critical eye. "Kai, you forgot to take off your scarf."

"I feel bare without it." Kai complained.

"You were the one who said we had to go in disguise." Max pointed out. He wore a brown haired wig over his unruly blonde hair. He also wore black leather pants and a tight black muscle shirt. Over that he wore a black and red leather jacket. "Nice." He checked himself in a mirror. "I hope they don't recognize me."

"Max you look gorgeous." Tyson grinned, glomping him. "Now all you need is a pair of boobs and you'd look like a girl!"

Max flushed. "That wasn't the look I was going for."

Kenny laughed. "I'll be working on the readings that we got last time we met the Demolition Boys, but have fun."

"You too Chief!" Tyson said with a jaunty wave over his shoulder.

The Stalingrad was crowded. It was hard to believe that there were this many bladers in Balkov Abbey. But here they were. Most of them were boys, but there were quite a few girls. Coaches sat on the sidelines sipping martinis. Kids toasted milkshakes and local sodas. A DJ was blasting and there were several Beydishes with crowds around them. Every so often a cheer would go up from one of the dishes and the crowd would surge forward or back. There was a dance floor with couples swaying back and forth to some kind of hip hop song.

The bartender at the juice bar scrutinized the blade breakers before taking their order. A coach was sitting a few seats down. She was dressed in Army green cargo pants and a black tank top and had short, dark blue hair with a long fringe down the back. She was talking to another coach and saying. "Honestly, with the trouble my girls get into I'm surprised they don't break their fucking necks. You're so lucky, the Demolition Girls are such perfect angels."

The old woman, (Kai was shocked to realize it was his grandmother) talking to her nodded. "But Vesta, Team Tide is tops on the scoreboard!"

"Tops on the scoreboard but gods they've got an attitude." She took a long drink of the sherry in her glass. "Bartender! Get me another sherry, this one's out!"

Vesta, the infamous and impudent coach of Team Tide and Team Flame. The Flames were a boys team and the Tides were an all girl's team. The two of them were in constant rivalry. Matches between them happened every few days. Two other heated abbey rivals were the Dragons and the Phoenix Team. "So how's Nyassa doing?"

"Right as rain and raring to go." Kai's grandmother replied. "I've managed to shield her from some of the atmosphere in the abbey. She'll be much more compassionate than Tala. I've made sure of that."

"Sylvia, I hope you're prepared. The coming battle will be very hard on them. Diana's taken it in stride, but she gets to talk to Robert on the phone sometimes. Natari though… I hear she hasn't seen her twin Michael since they were four."

Tyson choked on his soda. "Twin? Michael has a twin?"

"She's taking it really hard. She knows that Michael's here in Moscow, but I don't think they've run into each other yet."

"It would be awful, in the coming war, if Natari had to fight against Michael."

"Yes it would, and if they saw each other, would they even remember each other?" Asked Kai's grandmother. "I take the best care of Natari that I can, but Diana said that the poor girl couldn't get to sleep last night. And Carola, Carola is as impudent as always." Kai's grandmother took a sip of the red wine that she preferred.

"Come on Tyson, I want you to dance with me." Max dragged Tyson off. "Hey, where did Rei go?"

….

Bryan shoved Rei up against the wall of the equipment room. "I knew it was you kitten. You could at least have hidden those orange eyes of yours." The wig had come loose on the dance floor just as he had brushed by where Tala and Bryan were grinding.

"Easy Bryan." Tala warned. "Just rough him up, I requested our song a while back and it should be coming on any second."

"No, I wanna play with him a bit." Bryan smirked.

Rei shivered. Bryan smelled of jasmine, a smell that the Neko-jin had always found tantalizing. "Oh you like that?" Demanded Bryan. "I didn't know any of the Blade Breakers were queer. Let's see how you like this." Bryan dug his hand into Rei's crotch. Rei whimpered softly, helpless in his grasp.

"Bryan that's enough!" Tala warned.

"No, this is enough." Bryan said, locking his lips to Rei's.

Rei felt a jolt of pleasure run down his spine. He struggled to get free, but the older boy had him pinned to the wall. He felt Bryan's tongue slip into his mouth and bit on it. Bryan slipped back with a growl. "Bryan that's enough." Tala's voice pleaded with his koi from somewhere beyond Rei's field of vision.

"I'm sorry Tal-kun. I couldn't resist." Bryan smirked as they walked away.

Rei curled up on the floor of the equipment room, whimpering. "I'm not queer." He whispered to himself, looking down at his hands. "At least I don't THINK I am."

It was fifteen minutes later that Kai found Rei, curled up and whimpering. "Rei!" He cried.

"Kai." Rei sighed, snuggling into Kai's arms. Kai found the bruises on his neck where Bryan had gripped him, took in the swollen lips. "Gods, what's happened to you?" Kai demanded.

"Bryan… he and Tala caught me. My wig fell off when I passed them. They dragged me here. And Bryan… he… he kissed me…" Rei burst into tears. "And I liked it and he called me queer and I don't think that I'm gay but I liked it and I know I shouldn't."

"It's okay Rei… It's gonna be okay." Kai said, pulling Rei into his arms. "I know you, you've bounced back from worse challenges than this."

"Where are the others?" Rei sniffed.

"Tyson and Max are just outside, keeping an eye open for the Demolition Boys or Boris." He sniffed. "Voltaire never hangs around the café." That wasn't the point and Kai knew it. How could he get Rei to stand up to Bryan after this. And Rei, gay? Okay, the neko-jin had set off his Gaydar from the first, but that was beside the point. "Bryan… touched you?"

Rei nodded, choking back another sob. "And I liked it." He said, bursting into tears again.

"Shh…"

"Kai-Koron?" (editor's note: Clone) Asked a female voice from outside. "It's Nyassa, is everything okay?"

"Go away Nyassa." Kai growled as his clone came in.

Nyassa shook her head. "You sounded like you and your friend were in real trouble." Nyassa insisted.

"Yeah, Bryan molested my teammate." Kai sneered.

"Well don't blame me for his behavior. I'm not even on his team." Nyassa pointed out.

"Who's this?" Rei asked, curious.

Nyassa made a clucking noise with her tongue. "You mean you didn't tell them about me?" Nyassa demanded. "Shame on you, your own sister." Nyassa did indeed have the same blue hair as Kai, cut in the style that Vesta had used, with wild bangs that stuck out everywhere. She had the same blue triangles on her face as Kai and the same crimson eyes. She looked exactly like him, only feminine. Nyassa was Kai's clone, but the two of them agreed that Nyassa should pass off as Kai's younger sister. "Oniisan, don't you need help?"

"I don't need anybody's help thank you." Kai growled as he helped Rei to stand.

Rei let out a hiccup as he choked back tears. "Who's this Kai?"

"I'm Kai's younger sister, Nyassa. I'm captain of the Demolition Gurlz." Nyassa replied. "And I wish we had met in better circumstances."

"Leave us alone." Kai growled.

"And aren't we the pre-Madona all of a sudden." Nyassa growled, hands on her hips. "Fine, I'll leave you alone, and let the teams pick on you and Rei because he lost his cover."

Kai growled and lashed out at her. "I don't need your help."

"Okay, I'm gonna hang around anyway." Nyassa said with a smirk. "Just to annoy you."

"Can't you EVER leave me alone? I never wanted you in my life. Is it bad enough that you had to be introduced to me in the first place?"

"Now wait just a fucking minute…. It's not my fault that Voltaire decided to be an asshole."

"No, but it's time that YOU stopped being one." Kai growled.

"Why I outta."

"This is SO not the time!" Max snapped, he and Tyson had been standing on the periphery of this argument. "Rei, come on, get your wig back on. We gotta get out of here."

"yeah." Rei sounded tired. "Yeah I'll get out." He pulled the wig on. Rei tried to stand and fell over.

Nyassa caught him. "Easy there Tiger." She grinned impudently at the pun.

"Not funny Nyassa." Kai growled.

"Oh yeah its funny, it's as funny as Hell as it was shown in Dante's Inferno."

"Which isn't funny at all." Max pointed out.

"Who was Dante?" Tyson asked, curious.

"Can we stick to topic?" Demanded Kai. "Lean on me Rei. I'll get you out of this."

"What is he, your crush?" Nyassa asked.

"Nyassa if you don't shut up and get out of here right now I swear I'm gonna beat the crap out of you as soon as we get Rei into bed for the night." Kai swore.

"Kai, I wanted to talk to you. That's why I came over here." Nyassa explained. "Voltaire wants my team, the Demolition Girls registered with the BBA. Once that happens, they're going to want to hold an initiation ceremony and ball. Voltaire might use the ball as an excuse to take your bitbeasts in a battle… Kai, I don't want to fight you. You know that. And the worst thing to have happen would be for Natari to fight Michael or for Diana to fight Robert. It's a Civil War Kai. It's a civil war and we abbey children are caught in between. Kai there's got to be something you can do to stop this. All our hopes rest on Tyson and Dragoon to beat the crap out of Tala." Nyassa had tears welling in her eyes. "Natari… she was so sad when she found out that Trygle had been taken from Michael. If I could, I'd prevent all of it… I'd put a stop to all of it… the looks on their faces when they lose what they love. It would crush both Michael and Natari, and think how much it would hurt Robert if his Griffolyon were taken by his own sister, somebody he trusts more than anybody in the world. Kai you've got to put a stop to Voltaire's machinations!"

Kai froze, his back to Nyassa. "You've already done enough damage to me. Just get the Hell out of my life Nyassa. Get the Hell out." He walked away and left Nyassa to sink to her knees on the floor of the equipment room and cry.

….

Natari found Nyassa on her knees, sobbing. "Nyassa?"

"I'm… I'm fine Natari… I thought I could make it right…" She sniffed. "I thought that I could get Kai to care about me… It seems I was wrong… Kai cares about nobody!"

"It's okay Nya-chan." Natari wrapped her arm around Nyassa's shoulder. "Come on, it's almost time to go. And Tala wants to battle you."

"To hell with Tala." Nyassa growled. "Tell him to forget it." She stood up, wiping the tears on the side of her fur robe, the robe that all abbey beybladers wore to mark their origin.

"Nyassa?" Ian stuck his head into the closet. "What are you doing here?"

"Ask Kai and Bryan." Nyassa snapped, standing up. The coldness, her "Kai side" was starting to come out.

"Kai… Kai was here? Where is he?"

"Gone by now. He can go forever as far as I'm concerned." Nyassa sighed as she leaned against Natari. "The way he treated me. I felt like dirt and I still feel like dirt and I wanna strangle him for making me feel that way I always am stuck being the second best the lucky bastard!" Nyassa snapped. "Kai can rot in Hell. And when he's minus Dranzer or stuck in Dark Dranzer's grip a second time he can come crying to me so that I can laugh in his face!" Nyassa was trembling with anger and choked back sobs. "He's a part of me Goddess damnit!" She leaned against Natari and cried.

….

"Kai she's your sister." Rei said as Kai put a hot pack on his bruised neck. "Couldn't you be a little nicer to her?"

"Hn, maybe I could have been nicer. But she's always so annoying! And I never knew I had a little sister until Voltaire introduces me to her during my stay at the abbey. It's a slap to the face Rei. I wasn't good enough for him so he had to encourage my mother to have another child? And it doesn't matter anyway, she's at the abbey, they're the enemy."

"She was asking for help." Rei sighed as he leaned back into the Jacuzzi. "Join me Kai?" He asked with a pout.

"Sure, why the Hell not?" Kai asked, slipping out of his scarf and shirt. He untied his pants and boxers and slipped into the luxuriously warm water.

"I've been thinking Kai, about who will face who in the championships."

"I was going to have you battle Bryan." Kai pointed out. "But I don't think you'll want to after what he did to you tonight."

"No… no it's alright." Rei said, breath hitching slightly in his throat.

"You don't actually have feelings for Bryan do you?" Kai asked, curious.

"I hardly know the guy." Rei pointed out. "And I'm still not sure whether or not I'm gay anyway." Rei shivered at that admission.

"Rei, lets just say that when we met you set off my Gaydar like no tomorrow." Kai said with a smirk.

Rei whirled. "You… you're…" He stammered.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not." Kai replied. He leaned over and gave Rei a kiss on the cheek.

Rei flushed. "I never would have thought."

Kai chuckled. "You weren't meant to think. I wasn't going to tell any of you, but… well… this is different."

Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's waist and leaned against him. Kai smelled like vanilla and the scent was especially strong to Rei's neko-jin nose. He sighed. "Kai, I wanted to talk to you… uh… you know that Neko-jin like me aren't exactly like humans right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Kai said, burying his face into Rei's hair.

"Well when we turn fifteen we… uh… we go into heat. I always assumed that it would be myself and Mariah, but now I'm not so sure."

"Mariah paired off with Emily last night." Kai said with a smirk. "I heard them going at it when I went for a walk."

Rei's jaw dropped. "Emily and Mariah?" (editor's note: SMEX! cough snicker snork)

"Yeah, sorry to bust your bubble. You were saying?" Kai said with a smirk.

"I was thinking… um… will you be my partner for it?" Rei asked, flushing. Why did Kai always have the power to reduce him to a flushing, stuttering heap of neko-jinical passion?

"What does it entail?"

"Just a lot of X-rated stuff." Rei said, slowly turning red.

Kai leaned over and delicately kissed Rei on the lips, a gentle, chaste kiss and nothing like what Bryan had done to him. Rei melted into Kai's arms. "Alright." Kai said with a gentle smile that he only reserved for those closest to him. "In the meantime, you need to rest from that beating that Bryan gave you."

Rei shivered. "Rest… yeah…" he said, distracted slightly. He snuggled against Kai, the older boy felt his heart melt. To be loved like that, to be cared for, he had never felt this way about anybody, boy or girl, and it was Rei who had pulled the trick.

Kai later snuggled into bed that night, with considerably lighter prospects than he had last night. But there was one problem left. When it came down to it, would Rei defy Bryan's intidmidation and bring his team to victory?


End file.
